People travelling with pets on sunny days (or hot but overcast days) encounter a problem when they wish to leave their pets in a vehicle, such as a car or recreational vehicle (RV), for more than a few moments at a time. The vehicle quickly heats up to temperatures that are harmful for the pets. The pets may rapidly succumb to heat exhaustion and, unless treated promptly, die a tortured death, their last minutes spent frantically trying to escape their confinement.
The quick heating of vehicle passenger compartments is familiar to anyone who has parked a car in the sun while going shopping or visiting a restaurant. Although some steps may be taken to mitigate the heating effect, these are ineffective in eliminating the risk to pets in the vehicle.
Exemplary of prior art techniques for keeping the vehicle cool are the currently popular sun shades shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,396 to Levy. While these devices may slow the temperature rise in the vehicle, the same temperature is ultimately reached and the pet eventually meets the same fate.
Another proposed solution is to leave the vehicle running with the air conditioning turned on. This approach, of course, has a number of drawbacks. Principal among these is that the car engine overheats. Also, it leaves the vehicle key in the ignition, inviting theft of the vehicle. A further drawback is that a large pet may dislodge the gear shift lever and put the vehicle into gear, risking damage to any property or persons in the vehicle's path.
A somewhat more satisfactory technique is to roll down the vehicle windows to permit cross ventilation. This is the approach urged by organizations, such as the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, that have been calling attention to this problem for decades. Unfortunately, this technique is not entirely satisfactory either. For example, the interior temperature will always rise to at least that of the surrounding air. That is, an outside temperature of 90.degree. will beget a temperature of 90.degree. plus in the car. If the windows are opened wide, the pet may leave the car and become lost in unfamiliar surroundings. If the windows are opened a smaller distance, the ventilation achieved may not be sufficient to keep the temperature in the vehicle at a tolerable level. Opening the windows any amount jeopardizes the security of the car and its contents.
Although the above-described problem is one of long standing, no fully satisfactory solution has heretofore been found.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a satisfactory solution to this problem.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a solution to this problem without compromising vehicle security.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a solution to this problem without relying on the vehicle air conditioning system.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, an accessory for travelling with a pet is provided comprising a portable enclosure that is sized and adapted to hold the pet. The enclosure is constructed to prevent unrestricted ingress of air into the enclosure from the outside thereof (such as from the hot passenger compartment of a vehicle in which the accessory may be positioned). The accessory further includes a system for providing cool air to the interior of the enclosure. This system is designed to be operable even when the vehicle engine is turned off and may comprise, for example, a compressor powered by the vehicle battery or an auxiliary battery. The compressor can either be mounted to the enclosure, or can be attached to the vehicle and coupled to the enclosure by suitable ducting. Likewise with an electrical power source, which can either be mounted to the portable enclosure unit or mounted to the vehicle and coupled to the pet unit by suitable cabling. In one embodiment, solar cells are employed to recharge a battery power source or, if provided in sufficient number, may be able to power the cooling system without use of a battery. The apparatus also desirably comprises a fan or other means for circulating the cool air and a refresh system for introducing new air into the enclosure so that the oxygen content of the cooled air is not depleted.
The foregoing and additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description thereof, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.